Sliding-tongue buckle.



E. HARTMAN. summa ToNGUB BUCKLE. APPLIUATIOH FILED 00T. 7, 1910.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

WMe/sm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL HARTMAN, 0F BALTIMORE. MARYLAND. ASSIGNOR T0 ALMA MANUFACTURING COMPANY 0F BALTIMORE CITY. OF BALTIMORE. MARYLAND. A CORPORATION 0R MARYLAND.

SLIDING-TONGUE BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Potent.

lutentetl IS'ept. Bti. i911.

Application filed October 7, 1910. Serial No. 585,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known tlmt l. Enit. llAn'rnAx. n citizen of the tnit'ed States. residingr :it Baltimore, in the State ot .\lnr \'l:lnd. hnve invented :i eertnin new :ind uset'ul Improvement in Sliding-Tongue lluekles. ot' whit-h the following is n full. elenr. und exnet deseription.

The object of this invention is to provide n buckle in whieh instead of n pivoted toothlike tongue. or n fixed stud. or n lever. for engaging the strap or heit end to tix the parts in adjusted position. there is .-1 sulstzintially flut tongue. supplied to the lint-kie frzuue, nud enpnlile of .f1 reetilinenr or sliding movement upon the lrznne in sut-lt mvv as to elzunp the strnp or helt end between itself and :in :idjneent portion of the t'rnlne.

The novel tentures nre the slidingr longue. the eomplenieutnl ports of the huekle t'rnine. und the. manner inwliieh the tongue nud the frnlne are assembled and eoipernte to etleet the adjustment and retention ot the sti-np or belt' or other :irtiele to whieh the linekl-e is applied the tongue nud llnnie heine,r permanently fixed or usseinhled helore lieing delivered to the trude.

[n the ueeolnpnnyinsr drtnvings. illustrating.r the invention, in the `evernl figures of whit-li like ports ure similarly designated, Figure l is n top plnn View. Fig. 2 is :1 hottom plan view, Fig. 3 is n longitudinal see tion with the strap ends in plilee, and Fig. l is n perspective view. parts det'nehed, showim;r one form of the invention. Fig. 5 is n top plun View. Fig. 6 is :i hottoin plnn view` Fig. 7 is :i longitndiiml seetion und Fig. H is a perspeetivc view. ports detnehed. illustrating a moditlention. Fig. t) is u top plain view, Fig. 1t) is u bottom plain view. Fig. ll is n longitndinnl section indienting the nnluner of assembling the tongue und fronte, Fig. l2 isn longitudinal seetion showing the parts nssenihled. :und Fig. lil is n pers|nretive view, parts detnehed. illustrntintg,r still :in-

other modifiezltion ol` the invention.

rl`lie genus illust rnted here muy he, said to eonsist. of :i huekle l'rnuuhnving u slidnlile tongue :ind o supportin;r luer extending; longitudinally within the t'rnnie :und Vso disposed with relation to one. end of the fronte as to admit of the tongue heilig drawn towurd suid end ol the f'rnine hy strain on the engaged strop or hell. to therehy 4olzunp the .strap or belt :ind hold it in engaged po- I: sition. und the drnwulirs illnstrnte three spi-riesA ot' this genus. lt is to lie underl stood. lunvwfer. tlint the invention is not exl hnusted liv these itlustrntiens. hut is enpnlile ot' :issnuiingr umn)v other speeilie forms eo1ning.Ir within the seope ol the rlniuls following. Moreover. details ot eonstruetion. eontonr :ind :xrrzmlireineut :Ire vuriulile to suit the deumnds ol the trude. ot' the intended .feope ot' the invention. :Ind itsv geuerie elnlrueteristies l will preeeed to deserilie .snid invention :is illnstrnted in the dro wings.

'l`he fronte 1 is sulistnntinlly the snuitin the several terms. und eolnprises side lmrs 2. end lmrs Il und fl. :l eross-linr 5. und n eross lmr ti near the end lmr 5l. und having thefdllistnntinlly eentl'ul. longitudinnlly extendiufr tongue-supporting lug 7. .\s shown in Figs. l to -l und S) to lil. this lug extends townrd the end lmr Il. hut ns shown iu Figs. 5 te H. it unvv extend toward the opposite end of the frzune. rl`he t'ree edge of the lug muy lie straight nsseen :it 8. Figs. 2 und -l. or it Inu): lie eenen ve :is seen :it Sl. Figs.l 9. 1t) :unl ll. or of other prolile. lts supportingerosslmr may he depressed t'roin the supertieinl plane of the outer snrfnee ot' the t'rnlne, ns in lti'gs. 1104-. or it muy lie in snid plane` :is in the other views; l`he eress-lmr .'i n'efeluhlv is thus depressed. so :is to luke the loop of the nnehoriui;r strap :md the overlying strnp eud without olljeetionnlile protrusion.v The lo.;` 7 is :in integral port ot' the eross-l'izlr (i. :ind is foi-ined h v separating it4 `from the side liars li'v lnenns ol the slits l0.'

The inner edge o't" the end han' Il may he provided willi the renrwnrdly turned lip ll` Fitrs. 2 to'ft. to'nrrest. the outward movenient of the sliding tongue, lult this lip is neeesszirlv ,mainly when the eross-lmr tl und its lugr 7 :ire depressed.

The slidingtougne l2, eotnprises side liars 13, und eud han- 14, having a rearwardly turned inside lip 15 which ntlords u. finger hold in operating the tongue. und un elevuted end bnr ltl having the reiirwttrdly slitsl It) und embrace t te lue,` 7 so :is to effect: u slidin,e engagement of the tongue with said lug. 'lhe edge It? of the end lmr 16 oooperntos with the lip ll first to nrrest the movement of the, tongue in tlnnt direction, :uid second, und priunu'ily, to elump the strop end between the two.

'ith this stutelneut turned convergent elips 17 which enter the As shown in Fig. 3, the buckle may be applied to a strap end 19 by looping said end around the cross-bar 5 and fastening its folds, and the other strap end 20 is passed up through the spaces between the end bars Sand 14 and the next adjacent bars of the frame and tongue respectively, and then over the bars 16 and 5 and then down through the space between the cross-bar 5 .uid the end bar 4, and then when strain is applied to the strap ends the sliding tongue will move toward the. end bar 3 and clamp the strap end '20 between the adjacent edges of the end bars 3`and 1G. The lips 11 and 15 put a bend or bight, in the strap end Q0 wherebythe clamping effect. of the tongue is enh anced.

The buckle shown in Figs. 5 to 8 is substantially and in principle like that just described, excepting that the lug 7 projects toward the end bar 4, and the clips 1T meet over instead of under said lug. and their und har is nota elevated: the frame has no lip, and its sides may he provided with rearwardly extended flanges El'to guide th.- tongue by contact with its side bars. The edge 9S of the end bar lll may be oonfaved to gain more room for the passage ot' the stra p end. The. flanges .31 may he onlyy as long as the side bars 13 oi." the tongue, as shown in Fig. G.

In the constructions described, it ma),y he necessary to bend the lips over the lugs in order to apply the tongue to tlul frame. and while this is entirely feasible, it presents sonic difficulties from a umnutarturing point of View that would be ohviaf'ed with u consequent redurtion in :uaiiut'acturing hosts il the tongue and trame could be made and finished separately and then assembled, and this4 is accomplished in and hy the ronstriu'tion shown in Figs. fl to lll. lt is to be understood that these hurkhs are made of soft steel, usually, and tlu` parts are stamped out, vleaned, annealed or vase-hardvlud, and polished, and the finished articles are more or less springy and yet suflir'iently rigid to withstand the strains ot use. 'raking advantage of this springiness make the frame und tongue separately (as is true of all of the forms shown), and finish the-rn and then spring the finished tongue onto the finished frame to effect. assembling and produce a finished buckle, ready for use. The frame ls substantiallj,7 like' that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, but without the lip 11, nd the tongue diti'ers from that shown in Figs, 1 to 4 mainlyin detail. As indicated in Fig. 11, the finished tongue is applied to the finished frame by forcing or springing its clip end onto the lug 7 from the rear, until it takes the operative position shown in Fig. 12, the clips yieldin sufficiently to permit such o ieration. T ie side slits 23 of the clips facilitate this springing of the tongue onto the lug, in addition to aitordin stops and guides for the tongue. The ehp's and the adjacent part of their end bar constitute a spring loop, in effect.

As sufficiently indicated, the imfention is .susceptible of variations in structural details and in arrangement of parts as defined hv the claims following.

l. A sliding tongue buckle, having a frame provided with side bars, end bars, a

bar to which the strap end is applied, and a tongue-s1ipporting cross-bar having a lug extending lengthwise of the frame and separated from ille side bars throughout its length on both sides. and a sliding tongue arranged parallel with the frame on one side of the lug and having an end bar whose edge next to the adjacent end bar of the frame cooperates with the edge of said end banof the tramo to grip the free end of the strap as strain upon sueh strap end slides the tongue foward the adjacent end of the frame, said tongue unremovahly applied to said lug and solely in sliding relation to it and the frame hv means of clip.l on its said end bar forming a loop embracing said lug and holding said tongue in parallelism with the frame while permitting exclusively the aforesaid rectilinear sliding movement.

Q. A sliding tongue buckle, having a frame provided with a tongue-supporting cross-bar and a lug on said cross-bar, and a tongue having clips forming a spring loop adapted to be sprung onto said lug on the cross-bar to connect the frame and tongue in operative relation.

Tn testimony whereof l have hereunto' set mv hand this sixth day of October A. D. 1910.

EMIL HARTMAN It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent N0.`1,004,166, granted September 26,

1911, upon the application of Emil Hartman, of Baltimore, Maryland, for an improvement in Sliding-Tongue Buckles, anerrolf ppears in theprinted specilication requiring correction asfollows: Page 2, line 33, for the word lips read clips; and that the said Lettere Patent should be read with this correction therein that the sariie may conform to the record of the cese in the Patent Office. l

Signed and sealed this 17th day of October, A. D., 1911.

[SEAL] C. C. B ILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner Qf Patents.

Correction n Letters Patent No. 1,004,166. 

